Wrecked
by misspatchesmom
Summary: Ziva and Tony are both stuck in a traffic back-up on the Beltway at the Wilson Bridge (I-95 across the Potomac) on their way home from work. September 2029. Part of the 'You Complete Me' universe.
1. Tony

Wrecked

_Ziva and Tony are both stuck in a traffic back-up on the Beltway at the Wilson Bridge (I-95 across the Potomac) on their way home from work. September 2029. For "_Hetwaszoietsals"

Chapter 1: Tony

Tony sighed as he crept forward another twenty feet or so in the backed up traffic on the ramp to the interstate. He could see the traffic crawling along ahead and groaned. As he inched his way onto the main highway, he pressed the power button for the satellite radio; may as well enjoy the ride with some music since he wasn't getting home any time in the near future.

He passed a traffic information sign and had time to read the entire message due to the slow moving traffic. '_Accident just on to bridge; three right lanes blocked. Merge left or use Express Lanes_' He started trying to move left a lane so he could be in an unblocked lane when he got to the accident. As he neared the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, he wondered if Ziva had left NCIS yet. He pressed the phone button on his radio.

"Call Ziva," he spoke out loud. The speaker muted the radio and he heard the line connect. After several rings Ziva's voicemail connected.

"Hello, you have reached Ziva DiNozzo. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible."

"Hey, Sweetcheeks. Wondering if you are sitting in this miserable traffic or not. Call me when you get this message. Love you."

A gap opened in the lane to his left so Tony eased the truck into the new lane. He still had another lane to move over if he wanted to avoid being stuck in a blocked lane. He could now see the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles up ahead. It looked as though the accident was in the second lane from the right and involved several vehicles. The rearmost was a delivery truck as best he could tell from this distance.

Traffic continued to inch along. Tony glanced at the vehicles entering from I-295 (Baltimore-Washington Parkway.) He checked his phone for any messages from Ziva; none. She must be either still at work or driving since she hadn't returned his call.

He tried to move left another lane, but an eighteen wheeler quickly filled the gap that he had hoped to squeeze into. Damn! He was getting closer to the accident scene. He could see two fire trucks, a rescue vehicle, three Maryland State Patrol cars and at least two ambulances. The firefighters were carrying a 'jaws of life' device to the crash.

He glanced in his mirrors hoping to find a gap to slide into; no luck. He was almost up to the patrol car that was blocking the lane he in which he was currently. He was trying not to gawk at the accident when a fool in a sports car cut in front of him from the lane to his right. He slammed on the brakes to avoid rear-ending the jerk.

He looked up to the accident scene and noticed there were two smaller vehicles between a pair of trucks. Everything was stopped so he picked up his phone.

He pressed the redial button and listened to the ringing for Ziva's line. Her voice mail message played again.

"Hey, Zi, this traffic is awful with an accident on the bridge; if you haven't left work yet, find another route home. There are two trucks, a sedan and a van that…" He dropped the phone and put the truck in Park.

"Oh, god, NO!"


	2. Ziva

Chapter 2: Ziva

Ziva's day had been rather pleasant; her work load had been lighter than usual and she got to have lunch with both Tim and Jimmy. Her annoying coworker was out with a stomach bug. Best of all, she had a chance to call Tony during his lunch break.

She actually left the NCIS building almost forty minutes earlier than her usual time. She headed onto the Baltimore-Washington Parkway southbound and pressed the connect button on her radio controls.

"Call Tali," she directed.

"Hey, this is Tali; you know what to do," came the sound of her daughter's voice mail message.

"Yaldati, I had a message from your piano teacher. Her son is sick, so you will not have lessons today. Take the bus all the way home today, please. Grandpa should be there with the twins a bit after 1600," she left the message and put the phone back in its charging cradle.

As she neared I-95, traffic slowed. She eased into the exit lane to go west into Virginia, following a Wal-Mart truck. Traffic was slow, but everything was moving so far. She hoped that would be the case all the way home.

She eased into the second lane from the right after merging onto the Beltway. Once across the bridge, she had three exits to pass before the one to home. The Wal-Mart truck moved over with her and stayed in front of her van.

Traffic was moving about forty miles per hour when Ziva rolled on to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. She watched a sports car cut between her and the truck and then zip into the outermost lane. She wondered how much of a hurry that person thought that they were in to be driving so stupidly.

Traffic suddenly slowed and the Wal-Mart truck's brake lights glowed red in front of her. She applied her brakes and glanced into the rear view mirror.

The minute Ziva saw the delivery truck behind her she knew that it would not stop in time. A sedan wedged in behind her at the last minute and she heard the crunch as the truck hit the sedan, pushing it into the back of her van. She felt her vehicle being pushed forward into the back of the Wal-Mart truck.

The impact released the air bags and Ziva was thrown against the cushion. It felt as though she had been slammed into a wall that gave slightly. Her seat belt tightened as she was thrown forward. She felt a pain in her left shoulder as she hit the air bag.

Everything stopped. Ziva sat up, resting against the back of the seat. Her shoulder hurt with a stabbing pain. She spotted her phone on the console and picked it up.

She pressed "redial," forgetting that the last call had been to Tali and not to Tony. She put the phone on speaker mode and when Tali's voice mail answered, she groaned. Not who she was expecting; oh, well, Tali would have to do.

"Tali, I have just been in an accident on the Wilson Bridge. Call your Abba. I will try to call you again when I get out of the van. The doors will not open." She dropped the phone as the pain in her shoulder became too strong to ignore. Ziva passed out from the pain.


	3. At the Scene

Chapter 3: At the Scene

Emergency crews arrived within fifteen minutes; luckily a Maryland State Patrol officer who was headed home was in the lane next to Ziva. The driver of the Wal-Mart truck also called 911 to report the accident. The vehicles ended up in the two right lanes in a tangle of metal. Ziva's van was crunched on both ends; the front crushed against the trailer of the Wal-Mart truck and the rear crunched on the left side by the delivery truck and on the right side by the sedan.

The driver of the sedan was unconscious and bloodied. The driver of the delivery truck was limping and confused, but seemed to be relatively unscathed. The driver of the Wal-Mart truck was unhurt; he checked on Ziva. The driver's side window had shattered in the impact. Ziva was unconscious against the back of the seat.

"She's breathing, but not conscious. Don't see any blood," he told the off-duty trooper. The trooper was checking the driver of the sedan.

"She's pinned in the car, blood seems to be from a head wound," he informed the other man. "I'm going to get him out of traffic," he pointed to the delivery truck driver who was wandering in the lane. The trooper moved the man to his vehicle to await the ambulances and fire truck.

The fire truck arrived first and the firemen assessed the situation, noting that they would need the 'jaws of life' for both smaller vehicles. The crew chief radioed for a second fire truck to come to the scene as the first ambulance arrived.

The EMTs did an assessment on each of the drivers who were trapped; Ziva and the other woman were checked for pulse and respiration. They slid neck braces on each woman as a precaution. As the second ambulance and fire truck arrived, the first crew began cutting the sedan to get the other woman out.

Ziva regained consciousness as the fire crew lugged the 'jaws of life' to her van, well, what was left of it.

"Hi, we're going to have to use the 'jaws of life' to cut you out of your van, ma'am," the firefighter spoke to Ziva when he noticed her looking around. "Try to stay still while we work, okay?"

"Yes," Ziva replied.

An EMT moved to Ziva, "Hello, I'm Kenny; what's your name?"

"Ziva."

"Great, Ziva. Are you in pain? What hurts?"

"My shoulder hurts a lot. It feels as though someone stabbed me and then twisted the knife," Ziva winced as she tried to shift in the seat.

"Try not to move, Ziva. I'm going to do a quick assessment while the guys get the 'jaws of life' set up. Tell me where you work. Do you have anyone we can notify to meet you at the hospital?"

"I am an NCIS agent; I work as a translator for the International Desk. If you can find my phone, I can call my husband. He drives this way every day to and from work at FLETC-Cheltenham." Ziva was getting annoyed with the neck brace, even though she knew it was a necessary precaution. She looked around as best she could for her phone. Kenny spotted the phone and handed it to Ziva.

She dialed Tony's phone with the speed dial; he was the first number on her speed dial list. She heard his voice mail message.

"Tony, I have been in an accident…"

Ziva was interrupted by a loud "Oh, god, NO!" and dropped her phone.

"Tony?" she called out.

"Ziva!" Tony tried to push past the emergency workers to get to his Ninja.

"Whoa, bud, you can't go over there," one of the patrol officers said, holding up her hands against Tony's forward motion.

"The hell I can't! That's my wife; we're both Federal Agents!" Tony pulled his credentials out of his jacket pocket and flashed them in the woman's face. "Let me through!"

"Sir, you have to stay back. Let the emergency crews do their jobs. They are getting ready to use the 'jaws of life' to cut your wife out of her van," the female trooper tried to explain to a now distraught Tony.

The driver of the sedan was pulled from the wreckage after the first crew cut into the roof and door of the mangled metal that had once been a vehicle. EMTs transferred her to a backboard and then onto a stretcher and whisked her to the waiting ambulance.

"Give me just two minutes, please," Tony pleaded. "ZIVA?"

She relented and he rushed to the driver's side of the crushed van. He quickly moved around Kenny and into Ziva's line of sight.

"Tony," Ziva gave him a pained grin. "I am okay!"

"You don't look okay, Zi," he turned to the EMT.

"She may have a neck and shoulder injury; we'll know more when the firefighters cut her out of here," Kenny was honest in his assessment. "Let them do their job, Tony." Kenny placed a light protective blanket over Ziva as the firefighters started the equipment. They pried open the driver's door in about ten minutes.

Tony let out a breath that he didn't realize that he was holding as the door finally came open. Kenny and one of the firefighters released the seatbelt and gently guided it over Ziva's shoulder, freeing her from the seat. They placed her on a backboard and then on the stretcher.

Tony clasped Ziva's right hand in his hand as he ran alongside the stretcher. "Ani ohev otach, Zi."

"Ani ohevet otcha," she replied.

"We gotta go," Kenny moved to load the stretcher into the ambulance. "We're headed to Alexandria Hospital."

"Thanks," Tony squeezed Ziva's hand once more before letting go. He trotted back to his truck after grabbing Ziva's phone and backpack from the van. The female trooper stopped the lane of traffic so that he could follow the ambulance. He waved his thanks to her.


	4. In the ER

Chapter 4: In the ER

On the way to the hospital, Tony glanced at his phone and then at Ziva's. He had thirteen missed calls, and Ziva had seven. He also had five new voice mail messages. Once in the hospital parking lot, he scrolled through his list of missed calls; one from Ziva, seven from Tali, and five from Gibbs. He swiped Ziva's screen and entered her password (his birthday) and she had four missed calls from Tali, the two from him, and one from Gibbs. He looked at her call log; she had called Tali twice today. He suspected the last call was right after her van was hit.

As he jogged to the emergency room entrance, he called Gibbs back.

"Rule 3, DiNozzo," Gibbs answered gruffly.

"It's okay, Boss, eh, Dad. I'm heading into the Emergency entrance at Alexandria Hospital right now," Tony explained. "Ziva was conscious, but in a neck brace and on a backboard as a precaution. She was complaining of pain in her left shoulder to the EMTs."

"Why didn't you answer?"

"I drove up on the accident; scared the shit out of me when I saw her van crushed between those two trucks," Tony choked out. Now that his adrenalin rush had subsided, he realized just how scared he had been seeing Ziva's mangled van.

"Oh," Gibbs didn't know what to say.

"Let me get inside and find out what's what with her; I'll call you back when I know more," Tony was almost to the doors. "Put Tali on for a minute, please."

"Hey, Abba,' Tali tried not to let her fear into her voice. "Is Ima okay?"

"She's banged up, but conscious. Says her shoulder hurts, but I didn't see any blood," Tony could hear the tears in his eldest's voice. "I'll call back when I have more info, Tals. I'm at the hospital with Ima now."

"Okay, Abba. I love you!" Tali ended the call and handed the phone to her grandfather.

Tony ran in the doors and headed to the main desk. "My wife just came in via ambulance from an MVA on the Wilson Bridge," he began as the woman at the counter looked at him.

"She coded in the ambulance, sir," the woman looked away. "They're working on her, but I don't know if she'll make it. Have a seat, and I'll call you when we know more. I'm sorry, sir."

Tony was speechless; coded? How? Ziva had been conscious and seemingly in good shape when she was loaded in the ambulance. He dropped to the nearest seat, stunned. NO!

"Hey, Tony," a voice called to him. He looked up to see Kenny headed his way.

"Kenny," Tony said woodenly.

"She's in bay seven; giving the doctor hell. Says she just wants to go home," Kenny put a hand on Tony's shoulder. He saw the expression on Tony's face. "Hey, man, what's wrong?"

"They… the nurse… said she… Ziva… coded…" Tony choked out.

"Huh? No way, she's gonna be fine," Kenny was confused. He moved to the main desk and spoke to the nurse behind the counter. He walked back to Tony.

"Hey, Tony. They thought you were here for the other woman," Kenny explained. "Ziva's gonna be okay. C'mon with me." He led Tony to an exam bay and pulled the curtain to the side slightly. "There she is…"

"Ziva," Tony ran to his Ninja's right side, his eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Zi…" He buried his head in her side.

"Tony," Ziva whispered and ran her hand over his head to soothe him. "I am okay…" Tears rolled down her face as she realized that her husband was sobbing.

"Mrs. DiNozzo," the doctor pushed the curtain slightly to enter the exam area. He stopped talking as he spotted the couple; she was the patient. Her husband had his face buried in her side sobbing; her hand gently playing with his hair. What struck the doctor the most was the connection between the two; they were almost as one.

She looked up, "Yes?" Her hand never stopped caressing the man's head and when he looked up, he looked at her first.

Tony sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face, "Sorry, doc. I'll get out of your way." He sat on the chair that was next to the bed and clasped Ziva's right hand in his. She gently squeezed his hand as they intertwined their fingers.

The doctor looked over the notes from the EMTs. "Left shoulder injury," he read out loud. "Mrs. DiNozzo, do you have pain anywhere?"

"My left shoulder," Ziva replied.

"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst, how would you describe your pain?"

"Seven to eight. It feels as though someone stabbed my shoulder with a knife and then twisted it."

He lowered the hospital gown off Ziva's left shoulder and looked at the forming bruise and the ugly red marks from the friction of the seat belt. He took hold of her lower arm and moved the arm watching her reaction. He stopped when she winced.

"Can you move the arm on your own in the same manner?" he asked.

"I would rather not," Ziva commented as she tried to move her arm upward. She gasped as a pain shot through her shoulder and lowered her arm.

"Is it like when Bodnar rammed my Caddy?" Tony remembered the pain in Ziva's right shoulder from that accident. Ziva nodded to her husband and turned to the doctor.

"That was 2012; I had soft tissue damage in my right shoulder from an accident. I was in the passenger seat when we were rammed on that side."

"Due to the swelling and the amount of pain, I am going to send you for x-rays of the shoulder, and of your neck as well. The neck pictures are to rule out any cervical damage or injury. Any questions before I go set up your x-rays?"

"When can I get out of this neck brace?" Ziva was ready to take the thing off; it was annoying to her not to be able to turn her head.

"Since part of your x-rays will be of your neck to check for any problems, if the x-rays are clear, the brace comes off."

"Okay."

"How long until she gets into x-ray?" Tony asked. "I want to call home and let the kids know that we will be here for a while."

"Thirty to forty five minutes give or take," the doctor replied. "Do you have someone to stay with the family? How many children do you have?" He gently felt Ziva's shoulder as they talked.

"Their grandfather is with them," Ziva responded. "Our oldest is fifteen, the youngest is almost eight. The three between them are twelve, nine, and nine."

"Zi, I'm texting Tali as we speak, letting her know that we are still in the ER and that you will be having x-rays soon," Tony looked up from his phone.

"Okay; let her know to tell Abba that there is a pan of lasagna in the refrigerator that I was going to heat for dinner," Ziva winced again as the doctor hit a painful spot on her shoulder.

The doctor left the area to arrange for the x-rays. Tony moved next to Ziva on the bed and kissed her gently. He ran his hand over the side of her face, locking his gaze on hers. She touched his face with her right hand.

"My heart almost stopped when I realized it was your van between those trucks," he whispered.

"Tony, I am fine," she caressed his face with her thumb. Her eyes searched his, communicating without words. She saw the tears in his eyes and gently wiped them away with her hand. She pressed her forehead to his, maintaining eye contact.

"Zi, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you…" he sniffled. "Ani ohev otach."

"My love," Ziva pressed her lips to his. They moved apart when they heard someone outside the curtain around Ziva's bed area.

An orderly separated the curtain, "Mrs. DiNozzo? I'm here to take you to x-ray." He pushed a wheelchair over to the bed and helped Ziva transfer from bed to chair. "Let's go; Mr. DiNozzo, you can follow me." The orderly pushed Ziva to the x-ray waiting area and handed the man at the counter Ziva's chart and orders.

"It'll be about twenty minutes; you can wait over there," the male nurse pointed to a group of chairs by the door labelled 'Caution: X-ray area.'

The orderly pushed Ziva's chair to the indicated area, "I'll be back when you're done to take you down to the ER again."

"Thanks," Tony sat on Ziva's right side and intertwined their hands. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. She looked so uncomfortable in the neck brace that he wanted to cry. If he could take her pain away, he'd do it in a heartbeat. He watched her carefully as she tried to lean back and close her eyes.

"Oh, Zi, I'd take the pain away if I could…" he whispered.

"I am fine, Tony. Just tired; I want to go home!"

He put a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, and caressed her face with his free hand. She leaned into his touch as best she could with the neck brace. She looked into his eyes, falling into the emerald green pools that gazed back at her.

He gazed into those chocolate orbs that drew him in to their depths; the rest of the world ceased to exist for a short time until they were interrupted by the x-ray tech calling for Ziva's turn. Tony kissed her lips softly and squeezed her hand.

"I'll be right here when they're done with your x-rays," he assured his Ninja. "Ani ohev otach."

"Ani ohevet otcha," she squeezed his hand back. "Let us get this done!" she turned to the tech and indicated that she was ready to go.


	5. Headed Home

Chapter 5: Headed Home

It was nearly five hours from the time Ziva's van was hit to the time she was discharged from the hospital. The x-rays had shown no neck injury, so the brace came off soon after. Tony could see the relief in his wife's eyes when the contraption was removed.

Unfortunately, the x-rays had also showed that the shoulder injury was a class two separation. The ligaments between the clavicle and the acromion (upper part of scapula) were injured and partially torn. Ziva was given pain meds, a sling to immobilize the joint and follow up instructions. She was also given a referral to a physical therapy clinic.

By the time Tony brought his truck around to the entrance way, Ziva was starting to show the effects of the pain meds kicking in. Tony noticed that her accent was stronger as she talked to the orderly who had brought her outside. As Ziva stood up from the wheel chair that she had been brought outside in, Tony scooped her into his arms, right side against his chest.

"Tony!" he surprised her by picking her up. "You do not…"

"Yes, I do! You're hurt, getting dopey from the meds, and tired. Let me do this," he wasn't taking no for an answer. Ziva deserved to be pampered after what she had been through. He gently placed her on the passenger seat and buckled her in. As he leaned over her to latch the buckle, she ran her fingers over his face and then into his hair.

"Toda, Tony," she placed a kiss on his cheek and then met his lips as he leaned towards her. She giggled when his stomach growled and patted his abdomen. "Atah raev, ken?"

"Bar mazal ani kenn medaber ba'iverit," Tony replied with a smirk. He shut the passenger door and trotted around to the driver's side. He WAS hungry and when he glanced at his watch, he realized that he hadn't had anything to eat in almost eight hours! It was now 2007 and well past dinner time. First priority was Ziva though; he could wait until he got her safely home and then go raid the fridge.

Ziva sighed and leaned back in the seat as Tony started the engine and eased on to the highway to head home. He glanced over at her; she had her eyes closed, but was awake as best he could tell.

"I'm glad you are mostly okay," he whispered. He really wanted to hold her hand, but her left arm was in the sling to immobilize the shoulder. She smiled but kept her eyes closed as he talked softly, "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you, Zi. You are my world; I need you like I need air, water, food… Oh, Ziva, I love you so much. How did I deserve to have your love? I really cannot live without you, you know. When you are hurt, I just want to take all the pain away… I want to make you smile and laugh. Did you know your laugh is music to my ears?"

He continued to ramble softly all the way to the driveway. When he parked the truck, he noticed that Ziva was asleep. He picked up his phone and sent a quick text to Tali to open the front door. Then he walked around to the passenger side and lifted Ziva into his arms. He carried her to the door and Tali opened it just as he got to the steps.

"Toda, Tali," he said quietly. "Ima was given pain meds, so I think she's out for the count."

The other four kids and Gibbs appeared in the entrance way. All the children but Tali were in pajamas and ready for bed already. Luckily they didn't start talking or swarming their parents, so they didn't wake up their mother.

"Separated shoulder, level two," Tony explained to Gibbs as he carried his wife towards the master bedroom. "Let me put her in bed and I'll be back."

Ziva barely stirred when he placed her carefully on her side of the bed and took off her shoes. He pulled the blanket over her, and placed a light kiss on her forehead. She reached up with her right arm and wrapped it around his neck, returning the kiss.

"Ani ohevet otcha," she murmured sleepily. "You are so good to me, my love."

"I'd get you the moon if you wanted it, Sweet Cheeks," he kissed her again. "Now get some sleep; I'll get the kids settled and be back shortly."

"K."

Out in the family room, Tony reminded the kids that it was past bed time for all but Tali, whose bed time was fast approaching. He explained what the doctor had told them about Ziva's injury and healing.

"Remember that we will have to help Ima more, since she can't lift anything or do much with her left arm for a few weeks. She'll need to go to physical therapy to help it heal. I'm going to stay home tomorrow so I can get you all out to school and then help Ima. Laila tov," he sent them all to their rooms for the night.

"Need me to stay?" Gibbs asked.

"Nah; thanks for being here with the kids," Tony looked at his former boss.

"Ya do what ya gotta for family." Gibbs grabbed his jacket and keys and headed out.

Tony locked up and turned out lights as he headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. He was starting to notice that he needed to eat something. He rummaged in the fridge and settled on two slices of cold pizza. The lasagna was tempting, but then he would have needed to heat it; he really wanted to check on Ziva as soon as he could but still get something to eat.

After inhaling the pizza and washing it down with a glass of milk, he cleaned the glass in the sink. He put out the kitchen lights and walked down the hallway to the master bedroom. Ziva was in the same position he left her earlier. Good, she was sleeping. He took off his clothes, did his nightly routine in the bathroom and carefully slipped under the covers. After he rolled to his side to turn out the lamp on the bedside table, Ziva rolled onto her right side towards him and snuggled into his left side. He gingerly wrapped an arm around her, avoiding her shoulder. She sighed into his chest. He placed several soft kisses on her head, her curls tickling his nose and face; he closed his eyes…

"Laila tov, Zi. Ani ohev otach," he whispered into her hair. "I don't even want to think about losing you. Ever."


End file.
